Chicago to become seat of power

TRIBUNECHICAGO TRIBUNE

The new Obama administration comes into office committed to far-reaching changes: a swift withdrawal of troops from Iraq, a national health-care plan, a shift in the tax burden away from the middle-class toward the wealthy, and an ambitious alternative-energy program.

The vote Tuesday clearly reflected a deep-seated public desire for Barack Obama's one-word mantra: change. In large numbers and for a long time, the public has told pollsters that the country is headed in the wrong direction. The discontent only increased in the final month of the election, amid a crisis in the global financial system that sealed Obama's victory.

Obama plans to spend the next few days meeting with advisers and move rapidly to announce a transition leadership team and a White House chief of staff, said a source in the campaign. Chicago's Rep. Rahm Emanuel and former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle are leading candidates for chief of staff.

Among the top items on the agenda will be determining what role Obama should play in forging an economic stimulus package with the lame-duck Congress. During the transition, Chicago will be the seat of power for the incoming government, and security around Obama's Kenwood neighborhood will be stepped up.